navratri recipes | 80 navratri vrat recipes | navratri fasting recipes

Collection of 80 Navratri recipes – in this post, you will find a compiled list of fasting or vrat recipes that are made during the Navratri festival. Or you can browse the complete collection of  76 Navartri vrat recipes here.

In north and western India, 9 days fasting or vrat is kept during Navratri festival. However, in south India fasting is not observed. In south India people do worship of deities and make sundals or sweet recipes to offer as prasadam.

Thus there is a difference how Navratri festival is celebrated all over India. This year Chaitra Navratri begins on 25th March 2020 and ends on 3rd April 2020.

in India, fasting rules varies from community to community. Its always better to check with your family members before deciding the menu. If you plan to keep fast during Navratri then do check this list of Navratri fasting food and rules.

Below you will find both North Indian and South Indian recipes listed. You can also check this collection of 45 South Indian Navratri recipes. also mentioned towards the end is a list of flours and cereals used during the fasting period.

Most of the Fasting recipes are very quick and easy to make. As many spices and herbs are not allowed during fasting days. Moreover you don’t have to chop onions, garlic etc. So fasting food is not only quicker to prepare but it is also easiest to digest. A good time to purify body-mind and get connected to your divine nature.

Navratri vrat or fasting recipes

Main course recipes for Navratri vrat or fasting:

1. Sabudana khichdi – a delicious dish of tapioca pearls cooked with potatoes and peanuts. Vegan & gluten free recipe.

2. Samvat rice khichdi – savory porridge made with barnyard millet (sama ke chawal) and potatoes.

3. Kuttu ki khichdi – easy to prepare khichdi with buckwheat groats (sabut kuttu), potatoes and peanuts for Navratri fasting. Wholesome super food.

4. Sabudana thalipeeth – crisp and soft pancakes made with tapioca pearls, mashed potatoes, ground peanuts and spices.

5. Vrat wale aloo – crumbled potato recipe for fasting made without onion-garlic. The potato sabzi is simple and delicious. You don’t need to make this potato curry recipe on any fasting occasion. You can make this sabzi and serve with pooris or chappatis any time.

6. Singhare ki poori – pooris made from water chestnut flour and potatoes. you will definitely get to taste a slight flavor of singhara or water chestnut in these pooris but that does not matter much, as these pooris taste as good as regular pooris made from whole wheat flour (atta).

7. Kuttu ki poori– crisp and tasty pooris made with buckwheat flour (kuttu ka atta). buckwheat flour is not easily available in India, but buckwheat groats is. So I purchased some buckwheat groats online. Then in the mixie ground them to a flour.

8. Aloo paneer ka kofta – a melt in the mouth soft texture koftas with a crisp exterior. just substitute the corn flour with fasting flours like water chestnut flour (singhare ka atta), buckwheat flour (kuttu ka atta) or arrow root flour.

9. Vrat ke dahi aloo – a light curry made from potatoes and yogurt. dahi aloo is easy to make and a quick dish.

10. Vrat ki dahi arbi – colocasia-taro roots in a thin yogurt gravy.

11. Vrat ki kadhi – quick to prepare kadhi for Navratri fasting made from amaranth flour (rajgira atta). this quick and easy recipe of kadhi takes about 15 minutes to prepare. Amaranth flour is added here instead of besan (gram flour) which we use in regular kadhis.

12. Kaddu ki sabji – easy and delicious pumpkin recipe that can be made on regular days and also during Navratri fast.

12. Arbi masala – light North Indian curry made with colocasia or taro root. we also make the same curry with potatoes. So if you do not have or get taro roots, you can make the same curry with boiled potatoes.

13. Vrat ke jeera aloo – a quick dish of sauteed boiled potatoes with cumin and green chillies. This jeera aloo dish is relatively very simple and quick to make.

14. Samvat rice pulao – a simple and easy pulao made with vrat ke chawal/samvat or barnyard millet. sama rice are good health option during fasting days and also make a good gluten free grain.

15. Vrat ke uttapam – uttapams made from sama ke chawal or vrat ke chawal flour (barnyard millet flour). these vrat ka uttapams can be served with plain yogurt or even Phalahari chutney or this Coconut chutney.

16. Kutta ka paratha – gluten free flat breads made with buckwheat flour and mashed potatoes. The method to make kuttu ka paratha is similar to making Makki ki roti or Bajra roti. for making rotis, you roll it slightly thin and for making parathas you can roll slightly thick. you can also use a mix of kuttu ka atta and singhare ka atta to make these rotis.

17. Rajgira paratha – healthy gluten free flat breads made with amaranth flour or rajgira flour. These amaranth parathas can be made even during regular days. They are very healthy as amaranth or rajgira are healthy grains. Since they are grown locally in India, they are easily available and not expensive. These parathas stay soft even after cooling, so they make a nutritious tiffin box snack too.

18. Rajgira ki poori – fried puffed breads made from amaranth flour & boiled mashed potatoes. rajgira ki pooris are simple to make. Since there is no gluten in amaranth flour, boiled mashed potatoes are used as a binding agent.

19. Khatta meetha kaddu – mildly spiced sweet and sour pumpkin dry curry. this sweet sour pumpkin is one of the easiest sabzi recipe that is made with kaddu or pumpkin.

20. Aloo sabzi – easy lightly spiced curry made with potatoes and tomatoes.

Snacks recipes for navaratri vrat or fast

1. Sabudana pakora – crisp, golden fritters made from tapioca pearls, mashed potatoes and roasted crushed peanuts. these sabudana pakoras are simple and easy to make and they also make for a nice breakfast or evening snack.

2. Sabudana vada – crisp fried patties made with tapioca pearls, peanuts and mashed potatoes. Slightly sweet and spiced to taste. These vadas are one of the most popular Maharashtrian snack made during fasting or even on regular days. In fact it is a street food in Mumbai as well maharashtra and many vendors sell these.

3. Sabudana tikki – pan fried thin patties made with tapioca pearls, potatoes and minimal spices. these tikkis are so good that they will get over in no time.

4. Sabudana chiwda – fasting snack made from nylon sabudana & dry fruits for the Navratri fasts. To make the sabudana chiwda, you require nylon sabudana pearls of the larger variety. The regular sabudana pearls won’t work. In India, nylon sabudana is available in reliance stores. You may even get them at your local grocery shop.

5. Sabudana bhel – this sabudana bhel is an easy and quick recipe. All you need are boiled potatoes, roasted peanuts and cashews. Addition of dry fruits make it more healthy.

6. Makhana recipe – these roasted makhana or foxnuts make for a good in between lunch snacks or evening snack. They can be had with tea in the evenings. its light on the stomach and nutritious too.

7. Aloo makhana – easy snack recipe for Navratri made with boiled potatoes, phool makhana (foxnuts) and spices. all you need are some boiled potatoes and the usual spices we use during Navratri fasting. This is a light snack that can be had during Navratri.

8. Sweet potato chaat – one of the most easy to prepare chaat recipe made with sweet potatoes or shakarkandi. sweet potato chaat makes for a healthy snack option during the fasts.

9. Banana chips – easy and simple homemade banana chips made from raw unripe bananas. these banana chips are good tea time snacks or any time snack when you want to munch something

10. Arbi fry – one more simple and easy recipe for the fasting season made with arbi. this arbi fry can be had as a side dish, snack or even with rajgira paratha along with some green chutney or curd.

11. Sukhi arbi recipe – crisp, fried and tasty spiced arbi recipe.

12. Arbi tikki – a simple Navratri recipe is this arbi patties. All you need to make these arbi tikkis are some boiled colocasia roots and some fasting essential ingredients like water chestnut flour (singhare ka atta) and rock salt.

13. Arbi cutlet – spiced crispy pan fried arbi or colocasia roots. Vegan & gluten free recipe. the arbi cutlet can also be served as a starter and can be snacked at any time.

14. Fruit chaat – Delhi style spicy, tangy and tasty fruit chaat recipe.

15. Vegan fruit salad – the fruits are mixed with whipped cream which is sweetened with sugar or honey. this was one of the best fruit salads I have had. The cashew cream mellowed the different tastes and flavors so beautifully in this nutritious and healthy dessert.

16. Vrat ki aloo chaat – this is a little spicy, tangy and crispy potato chaat.

17. Banana kofta – crisp, spiced pan fried patties made with raw unripe bananas. These koftas make for a nice brunch or snack. Minimal spices are used in this one. What stands out is the taste and texture of raw bananas in the koftas. While the outsides are crisp, the insides have the firm and smooth texture of cooked plaintains.

18. Finger chips – easy and crisp french fries. These french fries are crisp as well as soft and tender from inside. The way the french fries should be.

19. Farali pattice – crisp potato patties stuffed with a sweet-tangy coconut-dry fruits stuffing. A popular Gujarati snack that is made during fasting. The preparation of farali pattice is quite similar to the North Indian Aloo tikki, except for the taste. Both of them have a center filling and an outer potato covering. Whereas the North Indian aloo tikki can be spicy, the farali pattice is sweet and mild.

20. Farali batata vada – delicious snack of potato vadas or potato bonda made for fasting or vrat. These batata vadas are made with minimal spices and batter coated and then deep fried. In spite of being minimally spiced, they still taste good.

21. Aloo tuk – aloo tuk is a popular sindhi snack of crispy, fried and spiced potato slices. Remember to use sendha namak in the recipe. this dish is easy to prepare and can be served as a snack or a side dish. Will go well with a cup of hot tea as well.

22. Sun dried potato chips – method to make sun dried potato chips at home. the good part of these dried potato chips are you can make them as many you want. Then whenever you want you can fry them & they are ready to be served in no time.

23. Easy sabudana vada recipe – Navratri fasting recipe of fried crisp sabudana vada made without potatoes. These tasty sabudana vadas have a nicely done crisp texture from outside and a soft texture from within.

24. Vrat ke palak pakora – spinach fritters made during fasting with buckwheat flour and spinach.

25. Vrat ke pakore or kuttu pakora – deep fried fritters made with buckwheat flour and mashed potatoes, roasted peanuts and dry pomegranate powder. kuttu ke pakore are easy to make and taste delicious. They have a soft and melt in mouth texture from inside unlike the pakoras made from besan or gram flour.

26. Sama ke chawal ki idli or vrat ki idli – idli made without rice which you can make for fasting or for regular days too. this is a fermented idli made from sama, samo, samvat or vari rice which is a millet grain used during fasting in India.

Desserts recipes for Navratri fasting or vrat

• Sabudana ladoo – a sweet recipe which is good for fasting as well as during festival days.
• Sabudana kheer – sweet pudding made with tapioca pearls or sabudana and milk.
• Paneer kheer – quick and easy cottage cheese kheer. Ready in less than 25 minutes.
• Makhane ki kheer – phool makhana kheer is a dessert that is often made during Navratri fasting or vrat
• Rajgira kheer – simple easy dessert pudding made with amaranth grains.
• Samvat rice kheer – a creamy kheer made with samvat rice or barnyard millet.
• Lauki kheer – easy recipe method to make kheer from bottle gourd or opo squash or dudhi or ghia.
• Papaya halwa – a vegan Indian dessert made with semi ripe papaya.
• Sweet potato halwa – delicious halwa made with boiled mashed sweet potatoes (shakarkandi) scented with cardamom and saffron.
• Ash gourd halwa – delicious kashi halwa made with ash gourd or white pumpkin.
• Banana rasayana – a simple sweet dish made with ripe bananas and coconut milk.
• Carrot payasam – creamy and smooth payasam made with carrots, jaggery and coconut milk.
• Apple halwa –  apple halwa recipe with cinnamon and vanillain marathi
• Lauki ka halwa – sweet Indian dessert made from bottle gourd or lauki or dudhi
• Coconut ladoo – melt in the mouth ladoos made with desiccated coconut.
• Pumpkin halwa – sweet pudding made with pumpkin along with cardamom, melon seeds and dry fruits.
• Vrat ka halwa – a North Indian pudding made with water chestnut flour (singhare ka atta) and buckwheat flour (kutta ka atta).
• Dry fruits ladoo – no sugar, no fat ladoos made with dry fruits. A vegan recipe.

Beverages for Navratri vrat or upvas

All fruits can be eaten during Navratri fasting. So you can make fruit salad, chaats, juices or milkshakes. Remember to use sendha namak or rock salt. All milk products are also allowed during Navratri fasting

• Sweet lassi
• Dry fruits milkshake
• Banana milkshake
• Sweet lime juice
• Watermelon juice
• Muskmelon juice
• Mango almond smoothie
• Shikanji – Indian lemonade
• Mint juice

Accompaniments for navaratri fasting or vrat

• Palak raita
• Cucumber raita
• Pomegranate raita
• Beetroot and carrot raita
• Phalahari chutney
• Coconut chutney

South Indian navaratri festival recipes

Below are some recipes that are made during navaratri festival in south India. All the recipes are without onion and garlic. But people who want to keep fast as done in north India should not make these below mentioned recipes as they are not fasting recipes.

• Medu vada
• Rice payasam
• Carrot payasam
• Lemon rice
• Besan ladoo
• Vermicelli kheer
• Udipi sambar
• Drumstick rasam
• Idli recipe
• Coconut chutney

Sundal recipes – sundals are legume or lentil preparations made during ganesha chaturthi or the nine days of the Navratri festival in south India. They can be made from different legumes or lentils like black eyed peas, sweet corn, moong beans, bengal gram, peanuts. More or less the method to prepare sundal is same with minor variations here and there.

Kala chana sundal
White chickpeas sundal
Rajma sundal
Green peas sundal

In north India only certain flours and grains are allowed for making Navratri recipes For people who observe fast or upvas on these 9 days. These are
1. Singhare ka atta (water chestnut flour)
2. Kuttu ka atta (buckwheat flour)
3. Rajgira ka atta (amaranth flour) and rajgira (amaranth)
4. Sama ke chawal ka atta (barnyard millet flour) and vrat ke chawal (barnyard millet)
5. And arrowroot flour.
6. Sabudana or sago
7. Peanuts

Plus rock salt or sendha namak is used for Navratri fasting recipes instead of normal salt.
The spices and herbs are used varies from community to community. Generally, green chilles, black pepper powder, and ginger are used. You can check my Compiled list of Navratri fasting food or ingredients.